Call for an instant quote 0345 90 80 161
Open Mon to Fri 09:00 - 17:30 | Sat 09:00 - 16:00 (GMT)
04 April 2014 08:53
Passengers finally arrived in Hong Kong after being forced to sit grounded on a runway for seven hours
Passengers were forced to spend the night inside a locked plane on a runway after bad weather forced it to land.
Dragonair Flight KA875 took off from Shanghai at 6.30pm on Sunday with 252 passengers on board but was diverted to nearby Shenzhen airport when Hong Kong was deluged by a severe storm.
Even though conditions had improved the flight was then delayed from heading on to its intended destination by a power failure.
A spokesman for Cathay Pacific - owner of Dragonair - said passengers had to stay on board the aircraft on the tarmac for seven hours.
Cabin crew barred the doors as a number of passengers attempted to leave the plane to buy food and water as supplies ran low.
The friend of a crew member told the South China Morning Post they ended up with just one 1.5 litre bottle of water to share between them.
In a statement, the airline said: "The initial plan was to re-depart to Hong Kong as soon as the weather condition allowed... regrettably, the delay was further extended when there were technical problems with the aircraft's auxiliary power unit."
Anyone who has faced holiday nightmares in the past where they have had to fall back on the security of their travel insurance policy might have sympathy for the passengers' plight, as such situations can cause plenty of stress as well as delays in reaching a destination.
"We sincerely apologise that as Shenzhen is not an operating port for Dragonair, the deplaning process (took) longer than expected because of constraints in local ground handling and immigration clearance," the airline added.
A "special clearance" was obtained on Monday morning, which enabled passengers to alight some 11 hours after the initial departure.
Authorities in Hong Kong issued a "black" rainstorm warning - the highest possible - and advised locals to stay indoors and avoid all travel amid Sunday's storm.
They received dozens of reports of landslides and flooding, while the city's Airport Authority said more than 500 flights were delayed since the storm began.
Shenzhen airport's management could not be reached for comment.
08 December 2018
Providing better conditions for disabled passengers is one of the main aims of a proposed new charter for airlines and airports.
[more...]
07 December 2018
Women who don't attend cervical screenings should be offered testing kits they can use at home, new research suggests.
06 December 2018
Ryanair could be slapped with enforcement action from the airline regulator after it refused compensation for passengers hit by flight disruption caused by staff taking strike action.
05 December 2018
Protein supplements and muscle training could be the most effective ways to delay or reverse the effects of frailty, a new study suggests.
04 December 2018
Mumford and Sons bassist Ted Dwane has helped create a new exhibition to raise awareness of the loneliness felt by people living with multiple sclerosis (MS).
01 December 2018
A leading charity has praised the actions of Lloyd Russell-Moyle, saying the Labour MP had "done everybody a service" by disclosing his HIV status.
30 November 2018
Sweating out the daily stresses in a sauna could be linked to a reduced risk of death from cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in people aged 50 and over, according to a new study.
29 November 2018
Hitting the Copacabana could soon become a more realistic aim for holidaymakers, with Norwegian set to become the first budget airline to operate UK-Brazil flights.
28 November 2018
Holidaymakers on the UK's proposed new high-speed trainline could have their Amazon packages delivered directly to their seat, according to a train manufacturer.
27 November 2018
Over half of UK frontline medical staff worry their hospitals won't be able to keep patients safe this winter, according to an "alarming" new survey.
24 November 2018
Patients who suffer from a severe form of stroke should be offered a procedure to remove the blood clot up to a day after the onset of their symptoms, draft new guidelines suggest.
23 November 2018
Rising obesity levels have led to a record number of youngsters being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, a leading charity has warned.